Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Depressing Stats on American Ignorance of Religious Knowledge

A survey of 3,412 Americans conducted by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life has documented the extent of religious ignorance.

While 44% of Americans speak frequently with friends and family about religion,
•only 71% could name the place of Jesus birth
•67% inaccurately believe that public school teachers are forbidden to “read from the Bible as an example of literature”
•only 63% could name the first book of the Bible
•only 54% could name the Muslim holy book
•52% of Americans think that Catholics believe that “the bread and wine are symbols of the body and blood of Jesus Christ,” while 45% say that Catholics believe that “the bread and wine actually become the body and blood of Jesus Christ”
•only 46% could name Martin Luther as “the person whose writings and actions inspired the Protestant Reformation”
•only 45% could name the four Gospels
•more Americans (28%) believe that Billy Graham participated in the First Great Awakening than that Jonathan Edwards did (11%)
•more Americans (36%) believe that Brown v. Board of Education case-- which ended segregation in public schools-- focused on evolution than believes that the Scopes trial (which actually focused on evolution) did (31%)

The survey also found that:
•69% are “absolutely certain” that God or a universal spirit exists, while 17% are “fairly certain” and 6% are atheists
•48% read Scripture at least monthly
•only 59% of Americans know that the vice president of the United States is Joe Biden

Perhaps worst is who knew what. Atheists and agnostics, Jews and Mormons are among the highest-scoring groups on questions about the core teachings, history and leading figures of major world religions, outperforming evangelical Protestants, mainline Protestants and Catholics.